Eminent citizens at a seminar on Monday demanded that parliament members submit their wealth statements to the election commission in accordance with their pre-election commitment.
They made the plea at a seminar on ‘Political Will Can Play Main Role in Curbing Corruption’ organised by the Anti-Corruption Commission as part of its observance of the anti-corruption week that began on March 26.
The seminar, presided over by ACC chairman Ghulam Rahman, was addressed by the chairman of the Center for Policy Dialogue, Rehman Sobhan, Jahangirnagar University vice-chancellor M Anwar Hossain, Former education minister and BNP leader M Osman Faruque, Communist Party of Bangladesh president Mujahiduld Islam Selim and Transparency International Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman.
Other speakers at the seminar were lawmakers Fazle Rabbi and AKM Rahmatullah, former adviser to caretaker government M Hafiz Uddin Khan, information commissioner Sadeka Halim, Bangladesh garment manufacturers and exporters association president M Atiqul Islam, Bangladesh environmental lawyers association chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan, former president at FBCCI AK Azad, Susasoner Jonno Nagorik general secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, BRAC executive director Mahabub Hossain and educationist Jamilur Reza Choudhury.
Addressing the seminar, Rehman Sobhan demanded of lawmakers to submit their wealth statements to the election commission.
‘This is not a revolutionary demand, they were committed to the people to do it,’ he said.
He urged the government to create a fund for political parties to bear the expenses of carrying out their political activities and electioneering.
Rehman said a ‘democracy fund’ would ensure transparency and accountability of the election costs of the political parties and their candidates.
Speaking at the seminar, M Anwar Hossain claimed that some army officers had amassed huge wealth through misuse of power but the ACC did not take any action against them.
‘If the ACC goes to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and the Land Records Office they would find huge lands and vehicles owned by those army officers,’ he said.
Anwar was also critical of the role of the former ACC chairman, Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, also a former army chief, and said that he didn’t take action against corrupt army officials and he himself was the main actor of several types of corruption.
M Osman Faruque said that corruption would be reduced if political leaders and other organisations of society take initiative to protest corruption everywhere.
He said that the ACC is not functioning independently. The commission takes its decisions following the government’s instructions that had been proved by the investigation related to scams involving Hallmark, Padma bridge project and Destiny.
Mujahiduld Islam Selim said that a corruption-free society was not possible while the country’s economy is run by capitalism.
He said that 95 per cent people stood against corruption but they were victimised by five per cent corrupt people.
Iftekharuzzaman said that politics, administration and businesses help breed corruption in society. ‘Political leaders use people’s mandate for their own business,’ he said. (Source)
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